As I said, the association has not been proven (though it does make sense to me). If the association proves true, most boys who wore them will still be healthy and fertile. It’s the risk of testicular problems that increases over those kids who wore diapers of natural cotton fiber. I expect that the level of risk would vary quite a bit between different models of disposable diapers that retain heat to different degrees.

The whole issue points out how difficult it can be to predict the consequences when new technologies are adopted over time-tested alternatives. The benefits of recent technological advances are immense, but unanticipated downsides may sometimes be discovered after the fact.

The march of progress always includes a few backward steps. As parents, we can only do the best we can, based on what we know at the time. If we learn that a choice we made was less than optimal, there is no need to feel guilty – only to look toward the future and to how we can best love our children given all that we now know.

Dr. Greene is the founder of DrGreene.com (cited by the AMA as “the pioneer physician Web site”), a practicing pediatrician, father of four, & author of Raising Baby Green & Feeding Baby Green. He appears frequently in the media including such venues as the The New York Times, the TODAY Show, Good Morning America, & the Dr. Oz Show.